Relatives of Saturdays blast victims search in vain for dear ones

New Delhi , Sept 14 (ANI): Relatives of victims injured in Saturday’’s blasts in the capital bemoaned official apathy even as Mumbai police on Sunday traced the origin of the e-mail that alerted news organizations about the terror strike.

Five bombs exploded in quick succession in crowded markets and streets on Saturday, killing 20 and injuring at least 90.

Some of the relatives of those injured in Saturday’’s blasts milled around the main hospital, hunting for their dear and near ones.

Some of them blamed officials of making them run from pillar to post in search of them.

We do not know the whereabouts of our family members. Police is not telling us about our family members. Hospital officials are telling us to go to the inquiry. When we go there they tell us some ward number but we cannot find our family members there, said Rajinder, a person whose relatives are missing after the blasts.

Policemen were hard pressed to control the crowds while some of the relatives tried searching out the list put out at the hospital in a bid to locate the missing persons.

Vijay Kumar Malhotra of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) blamed the Congress led Central Government of not taking adequate steps to prevent the terror strike in spite of being warned by the militants.

This is what I am saying they knew it already. Although they didn”t know which place the blast will take place. But, won”t the rebels attack after telling them that they were going to attack? The government knew that Delhi was on target; they should have taken strict actions earlier. But no action was taken. Looking at the situation at present till now they haven”t taken appropriate security measures. Government is responsible for all that is happening,” Malhotra said.

In Mumbai, officials of the Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) said they have traced the e-mail sent by a group calling itself the Indian Mujahideen (IM) to television stations shortly after the first explosion, to claim the responsibility for the blasts.

The interrogation is on since Saturday. Whatever help they can give would be taken in the investigation. Along with that the technical teams of cyber crime are investigating along with us, said Hemant Karkare, chief of ATS.

Meanwhile, authorities beefed up security at Agra , the tourist hub that houses Taj Mahal, one of the wonders of the world.

Policemen were seen frisking people and checking luggage at the railway station.

We are tied up with General Railway Police (GRP) and local intelligence police so that we get information on time as you know in all these incidents human intelligence proves to be very helpful. And apart from these the other sources like human frisking, we are also checking their luggage, Mittal said.

Two bombs went off in dustbins in and around Connaught Place , a shopping and dining area popular with tourists and locals in the heart of New Delhi on Saturday. Others exploded within minutes of each other in busy markets around the city.

The failure to prevent the attacks has become an embarrassment for the Congress party-led coalition government, with elections less than a year away.

Police said the Indian Mujahideen is an offshoot of the banned Students” Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), but that local Muslims appear to have been given training and backing by militant groups in neighbouring Pakistan and Bangladesh .

The last major attack to hit the capital was in 2005, when 66 people were killed when three bombs exploded in busy markets, just ahead of Diwali.

The National Counter terrorism Centre in Washington says 3,674 people had been killed in militant attacks in India between January 2004 and March 2007, a death toll second only to that in Iraq . (ANI)